The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past: Prologue & Author Intro

This is going to be one of my first real attempts at writing. I want it to be good, but I’m also hoping some of it won’t be, because I want constructive criticism too. I don’t mean spelling and grammar mistakes, I mean about my pacing, wording, etc. Spelling and grammar will be taken much more seriously on a larger scale, this is just for fun.

This story is based on my all time favorite video game not called Tetris, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. This is a game I have played and re-played countless times, and will never grow bored of it. I will also write out the Game Boy sequel into a story, Link’s Awakening. For inspiration, I used the overall game plot, as well as the manga created for Nintendo Power and the player’s guide itself, which has a ton of backstory that came in handy. I will also sneak in other Zelda characters and elements along the way, see how many you can spot.

So please, if you feel like something isn’t a perfect adaptation from the game, that’s likely because it isn’t. I did add creative liberties into the story where applicable.

It goes without saying, but I take zero credit for the source material. That all belongs to Nintendo. I thank them immensely for the wonderful memories of this game and the legacy that the Legend of Zelda has left behind. Mario may be Nintendo’s mascot, but I believe the Zelda series is their greatest creation.

Without further ado, I bring to you my personal novelization of:

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: A LINK TO THE PAST

by Chris O’Mealy, based on the Nintendo franchise.

PROLOGUE

Long, long ago, three gods descended to our world from a distant nebula and created life. Din, The Goddess of Power, dyed the mountains red with fire and created land. Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom, created science, wizardry, and brought a balance of order to nature. Farore, the Goddess of Courage, created life through justice and vigor. The gods left this world shortly after, but not before leaving behind a symbol of their power; a golden power known as the Triforce.

Though the Triforce itself was an inanimate object, three golden triangles joined together as one, great divinity flowed through it. Each section bestowed a title: “The Forger of Strength,” “The Keeper of Knowledge,” and “The Juror of Courage.” It was hidden away in a place known only as the Golden Land. From here, the Triforce would beckon people from the outside world and call them to its power. Its hope was that someone worthy of earning all three of those titles would find it. The land to which it called out was a kingdom known as Hyrule, inhabited by the Hylian people. Hylian folks were descended from magical beings, and had magic in their very blood, giving them skills in wizardry, psychic abilities, and enhanced combat fighting prowess. They evolved long pointed ears, which many ancient scrolls said enabled them to hear messages from the gods themselves. As time moved forward, the bloodlines thinned, which made those pure-blooded with ancient Hylian ties esteemed to the growing population of Hyrule. However, while the people passed down their knowledge in such magical arts, the stories of the Triforce itself sank deeper and deeper into legend, until it was nothing more than a mythical tale that elders passed on from generation to generation.

While the Triforce itself became a myth, those who studied the ancient texts continued to believe in its power and existence. Scholars and historians would continue to translate these decaying scrolls, eventually putting all of their recorded knowledge into a book called the Book of Mudora. Those who read the book would seek out locations written within its pages. Countless ancient ruins and entire cities were combed over, where ever the Triforce was rumored to have been housed. The Triforce itself became an item that folks would obsess over finding, hoping to harness the Triforce’s ability to grant the wish that lied in the deepest part of the possessor’s heart. Those seeking to find it would interrogate the Hylian sages, but they too were blind as to where the Triforce truly laid. This strong yearning would lead to violence, as only a lust for power and greed remained to those seeking out the Triforce.

Then one day, everything changed. A group of thieves, greatly skilled in the dark arts, managed to open a gate to the Golden Land, though they did so by accident. On the other side, they found a land like no other. The land itself closely mirrored their own kingdom of Hyrule in many ways, except that everything had a divine golden glow to it. High above the land, giving off a great light and a feeling of power, was the Triforce itself. As the thieves advanced on the object of power, greed and lust overcame them, and fighting began among their ranks. One thief, a leader of a band of misfits, quickly overpowered his minions and began to slaughter his own followers. Bloodshed rained down on this golden land, until only this powerful leader remained. H reached the Triforce and grasped it in his hands, laughing maniacally as the Triforce whispered the words, “If thou has a strong desire or dream, wish for it…”

His name was Ganondorf. He stood tall, taller than any of his fellow villagers. He had wild red eyes and hair that appeared to burn like the flames of a volcano. He had dark grayish skin and wore a heavy suit of black armor, carrying with him a terrifying black sword whose blade appeared to be carved from a realm of demons. This evil laughter of his, due to the power of the Triforce, carried across space and time, and reached every ear of every citizen of Hyrule. Terror and panic gripped the land immediately, as news quickly spread that the king of thieves, Ganondorf Dragmire, (or as the people of Hyrule called him, Mandrag Ganon, which means “Ganon of the Enchanted Thieves) had found the Triforce and was doing to have his darkest wish granted.

The specifics of Ganondorf’s wish was never revealed. However, as soon as his wish was granted, evil power began to flow from the Golden Land. Countless men and women, driven by their own greed and lust, flooded the land and joined his army. Disasters struck in Hyrule, and dark clouds began to rest ominously over the land. The king of Hyrule quickly called upon the Knights of Hyrule to hold Ganondorf’s army from breaching into the kingdom. He also called for the Seven Wise Men to band together and form a seal that would block the entrance into the Golden Land.

The Seven Wise Men concluded that the evil powers were directly related to the power of the Triforce. As an inanimate object, the Triforce did not contain within it the ability to judge good from evil. In order to combat such great magic, Hyrule’s greatest wizards and blacksmiths banded together to forge the mightiest weapon ever created. It was known as the Master Sword, a sword capable of resisting magic and could even repel the very powers of the Triforce. The sword had a flaw though: only a person pure of heart and strong in both mind and body would be able to wield it. The Seven Wise Men searched for such a being, while Ganondorf’s army swarmed into Hyrule and attacked the castle. The Knights of Hyrule joined forces with the Seven Wise Man and went to war. The Knights won the epic battle that followed, but not without great casualties. Still, no lives were lost in vain, as the Seven Wise Men successfully sealed off the gate to the Golden Land, trapping Ganondorf and his evil minions inside. This war became known as the “Imprisoning War” in Hyrule Lore, and its conclusion began a time of peace and prosperity in the kingdom.

As the centuries passed, memories of the war faded into distant stories, taught by professors and historians, and written into books read by citizens of all ages. The calmness the people enjoyed continued for many years, until disasters once again swept the kingdom. Earthquakes in the mountains, flooding in the lowlands, a massive drought that made the southwest kingdom a barren desert wasteland, were just a few of the plagues that ravaged the kingdom. The most skilled wizards were unable to combat these events with even their greatest magic. Suspicious of the origins of these events, the king ordered an immediate investigation into the Dark World, which had been once called the Golden Land eons ago. The wise men’s descendents scouted the land to make sure that no gates had opened up between the realms, but their ancestor’s spells still held strong. The king then set a reward out to anyone who could solve the kingdom’s woes. The answer came from an unexpected source.

A stranger appeared one day out of the blue. He was a wizard by the name of Agahnim. Though he appeared small in stature, he commanded some impressive magic that the Hylians had never seen before. He was able to eliminate all of the natural disasters plaguing the land, and return the kingdom to its previous flourishing state. The people rejoiced, and proclaimed Agahnim a hero. The king awarded the wizard with a position at his side as his chief adviser. Agahnim was also declared the heir to the Seven Wise Men. Finally, peace had returned to the kingdom of Hyrule once more.

It was not to last.

Agahnim had a plan. A dark plan, indeed. He planned to open the seal to the Dark World and free those who had been trapped within. Using cross dimensional telepathy, Agahnim communicated directly to the king of thieves, Ganondorf, who along with the rest of his army, had been transformed into a hideous beast. Now known simply as Ganon, the dark creature fed Agahnim information about the land, allowing him to execute his plan with none the wiser. He and Ganon realized that they could use the Seven Wise Men’s power to break the seal by kidnapping and extracting their abilities through their descendants. These maidens were kidnapped one by one, with news of their disappearances spreading through the land like wildfire. Agahnim, still thought to be a trusted soul, was commanded by the king to protect these girls at all costs. The king himself was a member of the wise men’s lineage, which meant his own daughter, the princess Zelda, was at risk. Agahnim answered the king’s plea by taking control of the soldiers of Hyrule, claiming he would bestow his own powers onto them, so they could fend off any foe.

Agahnim’s plan worked like a charm. He used his magic to make many soldiers disappear, replacing them with a being of his own creation. These soldiers were not human, though they looked the part. They were made up of the some of the wizard’s blackest magic of all. With these soldiers in tow, Agahnim led a secret siege on the castle, unbeknownst to any citizen of Hyrule, or the soldiers who had not yet succumbed to his dark arts. He did so on a violently stormy night, which meant any sounds of a scuffle were hidden by the clasps of thunder. The soldiers standing guard outside would not be able to hear any commotion under their helmets in the pouring rain. He locked the king away and assumed the throne, taking Zelda prisoner, and holding her in the castle dungeon as he continued his evil spellcasting. With a full moon behind the dark clouds being the only puzzle piece missing from his evil spell, he made the sixth maiden disappear into the Dark World, becoming one step closer to finalizing Ganon’s grand plan. All that was left was to send Zelda to that dimension, and the seal could finally be broken.

Princess Zelda, knowing her fate was sealed, used the only power she could muster that wouldn’t be blocked by any of the wizard’s spells: telepathy. She reached out to the closest member of the Knights of Hyrule lineage that she could reach from beyond the wizard’s shadow, from her cold dungeon cell.